What is Home?
The mural, “What is Home?” by the artist Asbestos, at the end of South Main Street, in Cork. As seen through the ring of a nearby life buoy hanging on a pole.
The Geometry of Retail
I was having a coffee and scone at the café in the Cornmarket Centre when I spotted the circles on the roof. Apparently they are acoustic baffles to absorb sound waves and echoes. I guess it is quite a large enclosed area..
London’s Most Pampered Pooch
I love this little dog’s pet carrier, but every little dog wants to walk and smell the world around them. When they get tired it’s time for a rest and this dog is spoiled with that pet carrier. As they should be. 🙂
The Flying Train
When you can take the train, you should probably take it rather than flying.
A Solitary Figure in Birmingham
Walking along Corporation Street, I was watching out for interesting people to photograph when I saw a man watching people walking past. We’d just come out of Grand Central Shopping Centre, the sun was shining, and I quickly walked over to the shaded part of the street. It was too warm for me. Might have…
Cork’s Social Life Spills Onto the Street
The Long Valley Bar is always busy, and I love seeing interesting characters sitting at the tables outside. The Long Valley Bar has been serving Cork since 1842 and is famous for its traditional “combination” sandwiches – hence the “Plain Comb” on the menu board. These legendary sandwiches typically contain a hearty mix of meats,…
Cork’s Bell Tower from the Steepest Street
Shandon Bells as seen from the top of Patrick’s Hill, from the wall surrounding Bells Field. The eight bells of Shandon Bells were cast in Gloucester, England, in 1750 and shipped to Cork. They’re tuned to play in the key of D major, and each bell has inscriptions including biblical verses and the names of…
Fire in the Sky at Sunset
The sun sets behind a hill on the Dingle Peninsula, Kerry, back in 2021.
Clouds swirl over North Main Street
Whispy cirrus clouds were visible over Cork a few months ago. The building in the background used to be a Catholic Young Men’s Society hall. These societies were established across Ireland in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as part of a movement to provide educational, social, and recreational facilities for young Catholic men,…
Chickens at the market
Chickens, and what looks like a duck, in cages at the Bantry market a few years ago.
A Hidden Retreat on Sherkin Island
An old van sits in the driveway of a house on Sherkin Island, Co Cork. The barrier blocking the way is apparently used extensively on the islands off the Irish coast and in other rural areas, but I’m more familiar with seeing them in WWII films or war zones!
McCarthy’s: the pink garage
The derelict McCarthy’s Garage as it was in 2021 in Schull, Co Cork. The building today is very different, but it’s still pink! I have a few photos of the old petrol pumps that stood outside the building somewhere on this site, going further back in time. The slate roof visible on the McCarthy’s building…